AUSTIN, Texas — Tech conference veterans call it Stuff We All Get, or SWAG. But a more accurate name might be Stuff We All Get — And Never Use.

Companies typically give swag away to media and other attendees. Socks, hats, T-shirts, ponchos — most of the freebies end up in the attic, if not the trash. But one tech company at SXSW has cleverly turned the custom on its head. In the process, they up with one of the most provocative innovations we've ever seen at the interactive festival.

Instead of adding to the pile of useless giveaways, a Palo Alto company called Medallia partnered up with the Austin-based Foundation for the Homeless to collect swag from conference attendees. Then they'll take those donations and give them to Austin's homeless.

The project isn't just a stunt. Volunteers say they collected 15 pounds of clothes on Saturday, their first day in front of the bustling Austin Convention Center. On Sunday, the swelling festival will likely only increase the rate of donations.

"People have been saying, 'Oh, let me run back to my hotel real quick!'" says Andrew Nunnelly, a staff writer at Medallia, which is a business-to-business software company. "People are loving it. One guy was like, 'I don't have any swag, but you can take my hat.'"

More than 2,300 people are homeless in Austin on any given night, according to the city website. Up to 50% of the city's chronically homeless population — those who have been homeless for at least a year or four times in the past three years — are considered at "high risk of imminent mortality."

Austin's homeless population has been a topic of conversation at SXSW before, most notably in 2012. That year, however, a startup's plan to outfit real people as so-called "Homeless Hotspot" for wifi access provoked a wave of controversy.

10 Android Apps for Health & Fitness

Backpacker GPS Trails

Time to get outside, O nerdy one! Backpacker GPS Trails can help you find and explore awesome trails that will improve your health, broaden your horizons, and give you something cool to do with that 8MP camera of yours.

Nike BOOM

If music is your ideal motivator, try Nike BOOM. This app syncs your music to your workouts and throws in some audio-visual motivation from pro coaches and athletes along the way. You got this!

Instant Heart Rate Pro

For tracking just how much fat your body is burning, we suggest an app like Instant Heart Rate. It shows your heart rate measurements, a real-time PPG graph and your heart-rate history.

BMI Calculator

This free BMI Calculator will give you key information for setting or optimizing your fitness goals. And it should work for all but the most muscular of bodies.

Pocket Yoga

If your day could use some deep breathing and flexibility, try Pocket Yoga, which packs 145 poses in the palm of your hand. You can choose from three different practices, difficulty levels and durations for a total of 27 sessions. Namaste!

CrossFit Travel

If you're anything like us, you spend some time on the road for work and/or pleasure. Time on the road, however, means time for you to forget about your workout. CrossFit Travel comes to the rescue with an impressive list of exercises that can be done in a hotel room or other small space.

Squats

This one's for the ladies, and the name says it all. If toning your backside is tantamount to holiness, you'll want to check out Squats. The app will help you reach your goals of a hundred or more squats in a row, and the enviable posterior that comes with such an accomplishment.

Calorie Counter

MyFitnessPal offers this Calorie Counter for keeping track of your nutrition -- an important part of any health regime. This groovy app also comes with a barcode scanner, so you can easily find out exactly what nutrients and no-nos are hiding in pre-packaged foods.

JEFIT Pro

Here's a bodybuilding app for the muscle-bound. JEFIT Pro is a highly-rated app to help you track your progress, time your workouts, and beat your own records, all without the hassle of pen or paper.

SpecTrek

Fitness should be fun, and SpecTrek is the app that proves it. This AR game gets you out and moving around in the real world, hunting "ghosts" using your camera, GPS, and your own quickly-moving feet.

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